1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reactor device to which a reactant is supplied, and which causes a reaction of the reactant.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, attention has been focused on a fuel cell serving as a clean power supply having a high energy conversion efficiency. This fuel cell has been widely practically available for use in fuel cell automobiles, electric housings and the like. In addition, in portable electronic equipment such as a cellular phone or a notebook type personal computer in which research and development of downsizing is rapidly promoted as well, practical use of a power supply using a fuel cell has been discussed.
The fuel cell is configured to have electric power generation cells that generate electric energy by an electrochemical reaction of hydrogen. In the case of a reforming fuel cell that reforms a fuel to generate hydrogen, it is necessary to provide a reactor having a reformer or the like, for generating hydrogen from a fuel, in addition to the fuel cell. Thermal energy is required to generate hydrogen in the reformer, and it is necessary to set a reaction temperature at a predetermined value. Therefore, a heater is provided in the reformer, and an electrode of the heater is formed on a surface of the fuel reformer. A lead wire is connected to the electrode via wire bonding, for example, and the heater is heated by applying a voltage via the lead wire so as to set the reformer at a predetermined reaction temperature.
In this case, since the heater is provided in the fuel reformer, wiring must be laid out from the heater to an electrode on the surface of the fuel reformer. However, if such wiring is not sufficiently joined to the fuel reformer, fuel, for example, can leak through a gap.
In addition, as described above, the reformer is heated to be set at the predetermined temperature. Thus, a stress due to thermal expansion is applied to the lead wire connected to the heater electrode, and the lead wire can break.
On the other hand, in order to enhance electric power generation efficiency in the fuel cell, development has been promoted of a solid oxide fuel cell (hereinafter, referred to as SOFC) that can enhance electric power generation efficiency in order to achieve actuation at a high temperature. In this SOFC, an electric power generation cell is used in which a fuel electrode is provided on one face of a solid oxide type electrolyte and an oxygen electrode is provided on the other face.
In this SOFC, a reaction is carried out at a comparatively high temperature (about 500° C. to 1000° C.). Thus, electric power generation cells are housed in a heat insulation container. In addition, pipelines serving as supply flow pathways of a fuel gas or oxygen and discharge flow pathways of discharge gas; an anode output electrode; and a cathode output electrode are connected to the electric power generation cells and are routed through the heat insulation container. Here, in the SOFC, an operating temperature of the electric power generation cells is high, and thus, a temperature difference between each of the pipelines exposed to the outside, the anode output electrode and the cathode output electrode; and the electric power generation cells increases. Therefore, a thermal loss due to the leakage of the heat of the electric power generation cells to the outside is prone to increase.
In addition, for example, at the time of startup, as the electric power generation cells are heated, the pipelines and output electrodes thermally expand. Thus, a thermal stress is applied, whereby equipment can break.